Cardinals broadcaster McLaughlin faces DWI charge

Cardinals and Bally Sports Midwest TV play-by-play broadcaster Dan McLaughlin was arrested on suspicion of felony driving while intoxicated in suburban St. Louis on Sunday night, police said.

A charge of “persistent offender of driving while intoxicated” -- a Class E felony offense with a maximum potential penalty of four years in prison -- was issued on Monday by the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney. The 48-year-old McLaughlin, twice convicted of drunken driving, in 2010 and 2011, was being held at the St. Louis County Justice Center as of Monday night on a $25,000 cash-only bond.

McLaughlin, a St. Louis native, has been the Cardinals’ play-by-play broadcaster since 2000. He has also broadcast St. Louis Blues hockey games, University of Missouri and Missouri Valley Conference basketball games and regional college football games for ESPN in recent years.

Bally Sports and the Cardinals released a joint statement regarding McLaughlin’s latest legal troubles: “We have been made aware that Dan McLaughlin was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated on Sunday night. We are very disappointed to hear this and are working to gather additional information before offering further comment.”

According to the police department in Creve Coeur, Mo., two independent reports were made of a suspicious vehicle believed to be operated by an impaired driver at approximately 6:30 p.m. CT on Sunday. An officer located a white sedan matching the reports driving eastbound on Ladue Road at Interstate 270. After monitoring the northbound vehicle “for a short distance,” according to the police report, the driver was “failing to maintain a single lane” and a stop was initiated. Following a field sobriety test, McLaughlin was arrested.

After pleading guilty to driving under the influence in Chesterfield, Mo., in November 2010, McLaughlin was ordered to serve two years of probation and complete community service. On Sept. 25, 2011, McLaughlin was cited for drunken driving a second time after crashing his vehicle and leaving the scene of an accident.